Category: Announcement

One of the differences between “traditional” WordPress plugin development and creating software that works with the new Gutenberg editor is the scarcity of adequate, understandable documentation.

I speak as a WordPress developer who is largely self-taught, by which I mean I’ve learned by reading books, tutorials and the official WordPress documentation for developers. For virtually anything I wanted to learn how to do, there has almost always been a reasonably clear function definition if not a tutorial or a StackOverflow question and answer that was in the ballpark. Over the years, I have become reasonably proficient in PHP and MySQL and WordPress utility functions, actions and filters. Within those bounds, I like to think I’ve occasionally had an original idea or two.

The Gutenberg framework is in a much different place, in terms of documentation and code examples. There are some good tutorials out there on how to create Gutenberg blocks (units of content that can have their own editor properties). Thank God for create-guten-block, which makes many aspects of setting up your development environment easier if you’re just learning.

There is a Gutenberg Handbook, but a lot of it seems to be written for people who already understand React (the Facebook open source framework from Facebook that Gutenberg is based on). I can do a few things with JQuery but until recently didn’t realize how behind-the-times I was, at least from the viewpoint of enthusiasts for “modern JavaScript.” Telling me that the WordPress state management system is similar to Redux (yet another JavaScript framework often used with React) doesn’t help me.

If I wanted to display a custom notification to be displayed anywhere else on the administrator’s dashboard, there would be dozens of tutorials that would tell me exactly how to do that with a few lines of PHP. But those PHP-generated notifications aren’t displayed on the editor screen when Gutenberg is active. Aside from any technological reasons for this, it’s part of an intentional decluttering of the editor screens.

That means if you want to display a notification on the Gutenberg-powered editor screen, you have to do it with Gutenberg APIs. It has taken me literally months to figure out how to do that. All my Googling for answers came to naught. Finally, I came across a discussion on on the Github issues discussion board for Gutenberg where someone else was asking approximately the same question.

In response, one developer gave a pretty detailed example of how to generate a notification (thank you, Daniel Bachhuber). The only missing piece was some way of making the notification display in response to an event, like a post being saved. Mr. Bachhuber told me I would have to do more research because he didn’t know that, either.

In my use case, certain posts of the type rsvpmaker are used as templates for specific events. The RSVPMaker plugin needs to display a notice prompting the user who has updated a template to click through to another screen if they want to create or update events based on that template. This feature has essentially been broken in RSVPMaker when used in combination with Gutenberg.

To get the rest of the way to an answer, I had to go spelunking through other people’s source code. The routine shown below is loosely based on code Gutenberg uses internally to save metabox content on post save. I wrapped the code modeled on that example around my createNotification command, and finally I had something that worked.

In this example, the url for the admin page where generate event posts based on a template is localized under the rsvpmaker_json variable. On the PHP side, we test that the post is of type rsvpmaker before outputting that variable. In the JavaScript code, we test that the url is set to something other than an empty string.

We then subscribe to Gutenberg events. Every time a triggering event in the editor happens, the subscribe function fires.

We use functions like wp.data.select( ‘core/editor’ ).isSavingPost() to determine what sort of event that is. This checks whether the post is in the process of being saved (and verifies that it’s not an autosave). If yes, then the notice is displayed.

Updated: Originally, I had an issue with the same notification being added repeatedly if the user made additional changes and updating the post again. After attending Zac Gordon’s talk at WordCamp Miami, I realized I could explore the currently registered notifications from the console using

I saw that my notices were being assigned a random id. Once I added id:’rsvptemplateupdate’ to the createNotice command, the problem with notifications being added repeatedly went away. Apparently, I just had to give the notifications system a clue of how to check whether it had already been added.

I’m still getting all this figured out.

If you are evaluating RSVPMaker for use on one of your own projects, our new demo sandbox site makes it easier to check out all the features you would use as an event author or site editor. Only a few admin functions are off limits, allowing you to test setting up events, changing parameters such as event pricing, and embedding an event listing or single event in a blog post or web page.

Log in here (no password required):

In response to a user request (underwritten with a donation to the cause), RSVPMaker now allows you to establish coupon codes for discount pricing for an event.

Specific pricing, such as an “Early Bird” registration offer can also have an expiration date (that’s not new).

Another feature, probably long overdue, is that you can have RSVPMaker send a “Payment Required” reminder when someone registers for your event but doesn’t pay. In e-commerce terms, this is essentially an “abandoned shopping cart” problem that needs solving if you want people to pay for an event in advance and do not want them showing up thinking they are registered when they failed to complete the registration with a payment.

This is still optional. Some groups I’ve worked with, such as professional networking organization, want people to register in advance but are fine with taking a check at the door. They offer online payment as an option, not a requirement. On the other hand, if you’re registering people for an online class, you know you have to get that payment online (no “at the door” for you).

To turn on payment reminders, go to the RSVPMaker settings screen, Payments tab.

If you want to change the notification headline or body copy from the defaults, you can do that from the Notification Templates screen under RSVP Mailer. I provide codes for including elements such as the email subject line, which are documented at the bottom of that screen.

This is also where you can customize the notification sent to the event owner and the confirmation message sent to the person registering for an event.

Limited Time Content (Updated)

The Limited Time Content wrapper block for Gutenberg has also been updated to allow the option of setting expired content to be automatically deleted. This is a container into which you can place paragraphs, images, and other content (InnerBlocks in Gutenberg terminology). You can then set a start time, an end time, or both.

The Limited Time Content block contents will be hidden if the current time is before the start time or after the end time. The idea is to allow you to display an event promotion — or any other content that only makes sense to display for a limited time, such as a limited-time price for goods or services — without worrying that it will still be showing up weeks later because you forgot to take it down.

By default, you will have to go back into the editor and remove expired content after the end date/time has passed. However, as of release 5.8.5, you can have RSVPMaker automatically delete that block of expired content.

Note: It took me several tries to find a regular expression search and replace pattern that would delete the target block and leave all other content alone. If you’re not inclined to trust the software to do this for you, you can stick with the manual method. If you use the automated method, you may want to make sure you have WordPress configured to track revisions so you can retrieve the deleted content if necessary.

A new “Limited Time Content” wrapper block for the WordPress 5+ / Gutenberg editor allows RSVPMaker to control the display of whatever blocks of content you place inside. You can set it to not display the content before the specified start date and time (for example, the start of a sale) or after the end date and time (the end of the sale).

You can provide a start date, an end date, or both.

One of my motivations for creating RSVPMaker in the first place it that I think it looks bad for a website to be advertising an event that has gone past as if it were still in the future. The same is true for a an announcement that is long past its expiration date.

The Limited Time Content block can be added to any blog page or post. You could use it inside an RSVPMaker event post as well (for example, to call attention to early bird event pricing that should no longer be advertised after a certain date).

This wrapper component can be equally useful for staging content on your website that should not be advertised prior to a certain date or time. Examples might include the launch of a product or of a political campaign.

Because it’s set up using Gutenberg’s InnerBlocks, you can place paragraphs, headings, images, and other blocks of content inside the Limited Time wrapper. A shaded border makes it easier to see what content is inside, versus outside, the Limited Time area. Click on the border to set the start time and / or end time.

Note that caching plugins could interfere with this component starting or ending the display of a block of content at precisely the start or end time you’ve specified — the logic of what content to display or not display only gets executed on a dynamic page load. Even if it works perfectly, you’ll want to go back and remove blocks of content that have expired, rather than leaving them in the body of a post indefinitely.

Still, this should save time on the chore of adding and removing content intended to be displayed on you your site for only a limited time.

Update: As of release 5.8.5, you can set RSVPMaker to automatically delete a block of content that has expired (passed the end date that you set). See related post.

RSVPMaker now includes its own support for online payments via the Stripe service, including a new Gutenberg block for defining payment buttons to be embedded in a page or post. This means you can use the same online payments mechanism for event payments and other sorts of payments, such as donations, consulting fees, or membership dues.

This capability was created partly to support the WordPress for Toastmasters project, which uses RSVPMaker for event scheduling, and includes a “dues schedule” option for fees that are prorated depending on the month when someone joins. The example shown above is from Online Presenters Toastmasters, where online dues payments are particularly important since the club has no physical meeting space.

Previously, RSVPMaker offered an integration with the WP Simple Pay for Stripe plugin, which is still supported (and may make sense if you use it for other purposes). However, if you use RSVPMaker’s built-in support for Stripe, you should deactivate WP Simple Pay to prevent conflicts.

Here is an outline of how it works.

In addition to recording a single payment, the Stripe payment button can be configured to record a subscription payment, meaning the user will be billed again after a set period. The supported intervals so far are monthly, yearly, and every six months.

This functionality is all brand new, so if it doesn’t work correctly, let me know.

RSVPMaker is ready for WordPress 5.0. That doesn’t mean there is not still considerable room for improvement in how it integrates with the new Gutenberg editing experience, but the main thing you need to know is where to find options that have moved.

One of the goals of the new editor is to “declutter” the editing screen so that blog authors, in particular, can focus on writing without being distracted. Plugin authors are discouraged from using the old “meta box” model where lots of options where displayed beneath the main content editing area. For that reason, many of the more elaborate RSVPMaker options for setting confirmation messages, registration options, and prices have moved to a separate screen.

When you click Add New for an RSVPMaker event, instead of going straight to the editor, you will see this screen asking you to set the event date and a few other basic options up front. Note that there is also a link in the upper right hand corner that lets you shift from adding a single event to adding a template for a schedule of recurring events.

Within the editor, you will see a calendar widget in the documents tab of the sidebar that allows you to change the event date and time. This is a little tricky because that calendar can be hidden when you are editing blocks of content. Click on the Documents tab in the sidebar, and you’ll find it under Status and Visibility.

Don’t confuse the event date with the Publish date. If you set the Publish date to a future date, the post will not appear on your website until that date.

To set other event parameters, including some like event pricing that aren’t shown on the Add New screen, click the RSVP / Event Options link that appears on the black menu bar when you are logged in and have event editing rights. You will see that when either viewing or editing an RSVPMaker event post.

You can navigate back and forth between the event options screen and the editor for event content.

When you are editing an event template, an additional
“Create / Update” option appears on the black administration menu. Click there to add a batch of events based on the template to your site or update previously added events based on your changes to the template.

In addition, RSVPMaker now offers 2 Gutenberg blocks: RSVPMaker Upcoming for adding an events listing and/or calendar and RSVPMaker Embed Event for embedding a single event in a page or post. These are the successors to the shortcodes used in earlier releases (the shortcodes should still work).

Watch the video embedded above for a tour of the updated RSVPMaker editing experience.

The new “Gutenberg” editor for WordPress, available now as a plugin and coming soon as the standard editor in WordPress 5.0, has prompted a number of changes in the RSVPMaker user interface — many of which you will see even if you have not yet started using Gutenberg.

One of the goals of the Gutenberg project is to “declutter” the editing screen, making it easier to focus on the content of your blog posts with fewer distractions. Gutenberg discourages the use of “metaboxes,” the user interface panels that appear below the post editing screen, such as the one where you set the date and RSVP options in RSVPMaker.

Yes, the long, complicated form for setting all possible RSVPMaker options including payments for events qualifies as “clutter” in Gutenberg terms, and so it has to go. Although metaboxes are still supported, up to a point, they are an awkward match with the new design.

As a result, that form has mostly migrated onto a separate Event Options screen. In the Classic Editor, you will still see an abbreviated version of the form with date and time options, followed by a link to More Event Options. An Event Options link also appears on the black “admin bar” menu at the top of the screen when you are editing an event or logged in and viewing it on your website.

In Gutenberg, the basic date, time, date/time display, and Collect RSVPs buttons appear in the Document tab of the sidebar. Note that changing any of those options will prompt a page reload. As of today’s release, that is a hack I’ve found necessary to work around certain challenges with Gutenberg and the React Javascript programming framework. I hope to make that go away in a future release.

When you go to Add New event or choose New -> RSVP Event from the admin bar, instead of going straight to the editor screen you’ll first be prompted to enter your title, date, and time of your event. Once you do so, a draft post with those parameters will be loaded into the editor so you can add your event details.

In addition to minimizing the importance of the page reload issue mentioned above, setting the date and time up front avoids an issue I often see with new users who are so focused on the content of their event post that they forget to set the date and time.

I think the bottom line effect is to simplify the event editing experience, particularly for basic event announcement and promotion scenarios where you are not doing anything fancy with payments or custom RSVP forms. When you check the Collect RSVPs checkbox, you’ll activate a registration form that includes the standard options specified on the RSVPMaker settings page.

The RSVP Mailer tool has undergone a similar simplification, where the options for creating scheduled email broadcasts has migrated onto a separate screen. The options for sending a single broadcast are shown when you view your RSVP Mailer post, displayed in the email template. I give you the option of including stylesheets, including stylesheets associated with Gutenberg blocks, in the header of your HTML email so that CSS formatted content will display properly.

Note that certain content such as embedded media may not be compatible with HTML email. I provide specific support for YouTube video, for which I can pull the thumbnail image from Google and embed it with a link to the YouTube address.

More work to be done, but getting there.

Like other WordPress plugin developers, I’ve been monitoring the previews of Gutenberg, the new editing experience currently available as a plugin and coming soon to core as part of WordPress 5.0. This major new release could ship as early as August, and it’s potentially disruptive for plugins that rely on shortcodes, the placeholder codes for dynamic output.

Existing shortcodes should continue to work. However, one of the motivations of the new editor is to eliminate the need for a lot of shortcodes that were used by plugin and theme authors to achieve formatting effects. The need for them should go away now that WordPress has more powerful, JavaScript powered formatting controls built into the editor itself. Most of the shortcodes used in RSVPMaker are more dependent on server-side code and logic, but fortunately there’s a way of handling that under the new architecture, too.

In Gutenberg, a web document is treated as a series of “blocks,” each of which has can have its own formatting controls and properties. A typical blog post would be a series of paragraph blocks with maybe an image block inserted into the middle of the page. There are standard blocks for quotations, two column layouts, and tables, making it possible to do more things in the visual editor that might have required a plugin or some HTML coding in the past.

Blocks can also replace the functions previously performed by shortcodes, including functions that require server-side execution like retrieving an RSVPMaker event listing. Accordingly, RSVPMaker now makes two custom blocks available to WordPress installations that have the Gutenberg plugin active … and which ought to work with WordPress 5.0 when it arrives. These block controls replace the buttons I had created for the “old” WordPress editor for inserting event listings and single events.

To add a new block, you click the + sign in the editor. You can then browse through the available blocks or search by keyword, for example “rsvp” or “rsvpmaker” will bring up the RSVPMaker blocks. The two blocks available so far are “RSVPMaker Upcoming Events” and “RSVPMaker Embed Event.”

RSVPMaker Upcoming Events is what you would use on your main events page. You can also use it to list a given category of events by setting the Event Types field. Clicking the button in the block chooser inserts a placeholder widget with an embedded form you can use to specify whether you want the event listing displayed with or without the calendar grid and how many events per page should be displayed, etc.

RSVPMaker Embed Event lets you insert a single event in a blog post or landing page. For example, you might write a blog post promoting an upcoming event and embed the event registration page in that post, in addition to making it available on your website’s event calendar. Again, there are a number of options you can set, from embedding the entire event and registration form to just embedding the RSVP Now! button.

Getting this working was a challenge, but I think it’s a better experience. It’s also new enough that there may be bugs. I did run into issues with errors occurring on the administrative dashboard when WordPress with Gutenberg enabled seemed to want to execute functions that would only normally be triggered by filters that execute on the front end of the website. (Does Gutenberg execute the “the_content” filter for some reason?) If you run into other issues that I missed, let me know.

By default, plugins like RSVPMaker that employ custom post types will continue to use the “classic” WordPress editor declares its support for Gutenberg editor. So far, I see no reason why you can’t take advantage of the greater formatting controls in Gutenberg when composing the body of an event post. However, for now that’s a setting you can enable at the bottom of the RSVPMaker settings page.

Try it, and let me know what you think.